Vending-machine.



N. N. NBNER.

VENDING MACHINE.

v I APPLICATION FILED HAB. 9, 1908.

913,151 Patented Feuzs, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@MMM/f N. N. NEHER.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED ma. a, 190s.

Patented Feb. 22, 1909.

2 SHEETS (EET 2.

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NOAH N. NEHER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

Application filed March 9, 1908. Serial No. 420,031.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, NOAH N. NEHER, a citizen o i the UnitedStates, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful VendiLg-Maohine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vending machines, and more especially to machines of that `class employed for the vending of cigars, andother comparatively small articles of merchandise.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine of very simple construction in which a delivery s ide is so arranged at the bottom of a magazine or reservoir as t5 form in one. position a support for the en- `tire column of articles, and in the other po- 'sition to release the lowermost article and Aform a support for the remainder of the column, the movement of the slide being accomplished only after the introduction of a coin of predetermined value.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved means for effecting release of the coin and permitting its fall to a suitable receptacle after the discharge of the article.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter a pear, the invention consists 1n certain novel) features of construction and-arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illust-rated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made without de arting from the s irit or sacrificing any o the advantages oft e invention.

Inthe accompanying drawings liigure 1 is a sectional elevation of a vendin machine constructed in accordance with t e invention.` Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of the same with the slide in discharging position. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the principal portions of the mechanism below the reservoir. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the reservoir.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding arts throughout the several 'figures of the raw- The working parts of the device are supported within a suitable frame or caslng 10,

the lower portion of which may be constructed of wood or metal, while the upper part of the -frame is preferabl made of lass or other trans arent materia and the s ape of this part o the casing may be altered 1n any desired manner, and may be of such construction as to wholly or partly inclose the article 'containing reservoir or magazine.

Between the upper and lower portions of the structure is an approximately rectangular metallic frame 15,`the o posite sides of which are notched and bent inward to form tongues 16 on which is seated a reservoir 17 that is arranged to contain the articles :c to be vended, and the magazine as a whole may be made removable, so as to be charged from the bottom, if desired.

Arran ed below the magazine is a delivery slide 18 t at is in the form of an open rectangular frame having a rear wall 19 and a front Wall20. From the bottom of the rear wall extend forwardly projecting fingers 21 that serve to engage with and support the lowermost article of the reservoir, and in fact that entire column of articles, while the upper edge oi'A the front wall 20 is provided with rearwardly extending fin ers 22 which are arranged to ass between t e lowerxnost and next to the owermost articles when the slide is moved rearward, so that the lowermost article may fall from the iingers 21 into the chute 23, and roll by ravity to a delivery tray 24 at the iront of t e machine, while the fingers 22 pass above the lowermost article and support the remaining articles in the reservoir, until the slide returns to its normal position, and when this is accomplished, the articles descend, so that the owermost will then rest u on the fingers 21 in readiness for another discharging operation. In order to prevent the lowerrnost article being carried rearward with the slide, and to insure its falling downward through the chute 23, the upper edge of the chute is provided with one orV more upwardly extending iin ers 25 which engage against the rear of the owermost article, as wlll be seen on reference to Fig. 1. p

Secured to a fixed part of the structure in front oi' the iront bar 20 of the slide is a coin receiving pocket 27, the 'front wall of which is provided with an opening 28 for the passage of an operating p unger 29 that extends outward through an openlnfr at the front of the machine and is provided with a suitable o erating handle. The front plate 20 of the s 1de has a corres onding opening 30, so that if the plunger is orced inward without first depositing a coin, the plunger will simplfy move through the two openings without e fecting movement of the slide. If a coin is inserted through the side chute 31 ,it will fall down into the ocket and remain in position.

tovbe engaged y the end ofthe plunger, so that when the latter is thrust inward, it will engage the forward face of the coin and willv press the same against the front plate 2O of the slide, thereby im artingmovement to the entire slide, and e ecting the delivery of the lowermost article. One ofthe side-walls of the pocket is provided with an adjustable screw 33 which may be turned for the urpose of accuratel adjusting the width o lthe pocket, so that the machine is to be operated by a nickel, the nickel willv be retamed in place by engagement with the end of the screw, of one side, and the opposite edge of the ocket on the opposite side, while 1f a` sma er coin, such as a dirne, or cent, is in-l serted, it will pass through the pocket and fall into a chute 35, and return to a tra at the front of the machine. After asi/0in o the -proper size has been inserted and the plunger forced in, the coin will be clam ed etween the end of the plunger and the or-` waid bar 20 of the slide, yuntil the latter reaches the limit of its rearward movement,

and when this occurs, the flat leaf spring 37 that is secured to the casing will spring down into position to engage a ainst t e forward face of the front bar of t e slide, and holdy the same from return movement. VIf the pressure onthe plunger is thenreleased, the plunger will be moved outward by means of a tension s ring 38, one end of which is secured to t e casing, and the other to the plunger, so that the inner end of the plunger willv move fromcontact with the coin and the latter will be free to fall to the bottom of the casing.

Secured to the plunger is a cross bar 42 having a notch 43 through which the locking spring 37 passes, and at a Vpoint intermediate t e ends of the spring is af downwardly bent ortion forming a cam 44 with which the ower wall of the notch engages ,as the plun er moves forward, so that the spring will e raised from enga ement with the front bar of the slide, and the latter will then f purpose of transmittin atte tiener be free to move to 'its full forward position for the reception of another article. From the rear of the slide extendsaguide 'bar 46, the rear end of which passes through a guiding opening formed in a bracket 47 that extends inward from the rear of the metallic frame. Between the bracketand the slide is arranged a compression spring 48 that is guided bythe rod 46, and this spring is placed under stress when the slide is moved inward to discharging position, so that when the plunger is released, the slide is forced forward by the extension of .the spring andthe parts are restored to initial position.

I claim 1. In a vending machine, a reservoirga delivery slide, a coin receivin ocket adjacent to the forward edge of the s i e and provided with alining openmg's, a plunger arranged to .y

move through the pocket openings, and serving to enga e the coininserted in the pocket,

and force t e same against the slide for the movement tothe r, a cross -bar carrie fby the plunger and provided with a notch, a leaf spring having a downwardly bent portion, the said spring fitting within the notch and having its free v l end arrangedto engage with th forward face of the slide to hold the latter in its rearmost position, a spring forA restoring the plunger to initial position and an independA ent lspring for muving the slide to initial position.

2. In avending machine, a delivery slide,

- a leaf spring fixedat one end and having its other end in o erative relation to vthe. slide to engage and ook the latter 1n its dellvery position, said spring having an intermediate 

